A Weight Lifted

Healthy Weight Management for Women Tired of Dieting

Book Review: Intuitive Eating 3rd Edition

The book “Intuitive Eating” was a foundational tool for me as I began to develop a better understanding of how to become more attuned to my body’s natural signals of hunger, satisfaction & fullness when I gave up dieting.

I consider “Intuitive Eating” to be my holy scriptures and have read it countless times. Still, when the new 3rd edition came out, I was delighted to read it again.

The original book came out in 1995. The authors, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch are both nutrition therapists and registered dieticians. They were tired of seeing clients lose weight initially and then later gain it all back. In addition, both authors were discouraged by the emotions (such as guilt and shame) women were feeling while being put on diets. They decided to try something revolutionary with their clients. They threw out diets and lists of “good” and “bad” foods. Instead, they added practices such as allowing all foods into their clients’ eating, and helping them learn to trust their bodies to know when and how much to eat.

The third edition of “Intuitive Eating” has three important updates:

Removal of numbers/statistics related to weight/height and BMI. Rather, they stress putting weight loss on the back-burner, so you can implement health-focused practices such as eating mindfully, body trust, and eating with attunement.

A new chapter about the science behind the principles of intuitive eating. Since the original printing there have been more than 25 studies that show the principles of intuitive eating really do lead to happy, healthier people and eating habits. In the Smith and Hawks (2006) study, researchers found that intuitive eaters ate a wide variety of foods and had lower Body Mass Index than non-intuitive eaters. Additionally, these eaters found pleasure and satisfaction with what they were eating.

A new chapter on how to raise children, adolescents, and your entire family as intuitive eaters. We are born with this internal wisdom. Think about how toddlers eat. They eat a few bites here, a few bites there. They stop when their bellies feel full or satisfied. It’s the job of parents to provide a wide variety of foods, making sure that no food group is demonized as “bad.” It’s the job of the child to decide how much. If we can give our children the gift of learning to trust their bodies, think of the future of the diet industry? It would be kaput!

Intuitive eating has become a real way of life for me and thousands of other individuals. I would encourage you to read the new 3rd edition. It will enable you to integrate intuitive eating even more fully into your daily life.

In addition, you can get even more support in the Intuitive Eating Online Community. It’s free! http://intuitiveeatingcommunity.org

Are you ready to become an intuitive eater? If you have questions about it, leave them in the comments below!

Posts That May Be Related

I enjoyed reading this book and incorporating its main messages into my everyday life. I wish it were easier to let go of “good” and “bad” foods and to enjoy your foods, but it is possible! I recommend it to many of my clients and look forward to seeing their successes.

Where Successful Weight Management Starts

Founded in 1973, Green Mountain is the country’s first and only residential weight loss program exclusively for women. We’re not your usual weight loss retreat or spa. We’re much more than a weight loss camp. We would never call ourselves a fat farm. You deserve better than that.